Coin-operated, time-controlled mechanism.



W. SpSGHOTT. 00TH OPERATED, TIME CONTROLLED MECHANISM.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY,23, 1912.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914,

Inventor Attorney.

2 answe -sum 1.

Witnesses. wd W W. S. SGHOTT.

com OPERATED, TIME CONTROLLED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 1912.

11,O89,O15 Patented Mar. 3, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- F Fig. 2..

' I Invento Wifnnus %M BX Qt I I Attorney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM SIEGMUND- SCI-IOTT, 0F DURBAN, NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA.

COIN-OPERATED, TIME-CONTROLLED MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SIEGMUND SoHo'rT, a subject of the King of Prussia, residing at 22 Club Arcade, Smith street, Durban, Province of Natal, Union of South Africa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Coin-Operated, Time-Controlled Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to coin-operated, time-controlled mechanism for permitting a typewriting machine to be used for a predetermined period of time upon prepayment of a given sum or charge.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple mechanism of the above mentioned class, whichcomprises few parts, is'cheap to manufacture, is not liable to get out-of order, does not require any manipulation by hand'to release the typewriting machine after the coin has been inserted, and of which the clockwork is only workingwhile the typewriter is released to permit it to be used. A typewriter fitted with such mechanism is especially applicable for use at railway depots and in railway cars, hotels and other places frequented by the public.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to provide coin-controlled mechanism for a predetermined period of time, such mechanism comprising a locking member adapted to be normally held in engagement with a moving'part of the typewriter coin-controlled means for releasing the looking member, and a notched disk operated by clockwork to ca'use the parts to return to normal position at the end'of the predetermined period of time; but in such mechanism the locking member is held in locking position by a lever which must be operated by hand, after the insertion of a coin to release the locking member, and the notched disk is intermittently operated" by continuously moving clockwork solely for the purpose of releasing the trip levers at the completion of the predetermined period of time.

By my invention'I provide a simplemechanism comprising a locking member which is normally held in engagement with a movihg' part of the typewriter by a spring and which is disengaged by a lever normally held by a latch and released by the insertion of a coin so that no manual operation is required. Further, although I employ a notched disk, its primary obyect is to hold Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

Application filed July 23, 1912. Serial No. 711,036.

the lockin member in disengaged position while it a so serves to return the releasing lever to latched position and to operate a single lever to permit the clockwork t0 operate for the predetermined period of time.

Moreover, by my invention the clockwork only operates during the period in which the typewriter is permitted to be used, and therefore requires winding up at less frequent intervals than clockwork which is continuously running.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of my invention, but I wish it to be understood that various changes may be made in the form, proportion and other details of construction without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Figure 1 is a face view of the mechanism, the door of the inclosing casing being removed. Fig. 2 is a detail side view illustr'ating the notched disk and the time indicating dial, the inclosing casing being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a detail side view illustrating the releasing lever and the latch member. Fig. a is a similar view of the arm for stopping the clockwork. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the locking member.

The mechanism is preferably placed in a casing 1 having a door 2 to permit of access to said mechanism, and having a glazed opening 3 through which the time indicator maybe viewed. The door may be provided with any suitable lock to prevent unauthorized access to the mechanism. Thetop of the casing is provided with an opening from which depends a slottedtube or guide 4 for the coin token or the like which sets the mechanism in operation. The casing may be secured in any suitable manner to the framework of a typewriter; the mechanism shown in the drawings being adapted to operate at the rear of the typewriter.

The locking mechanism consists of a rod 5, pivoted as shown at 6, or otherwise suit-.

ably mounted on a bracket secured to the framework of the typewriter. The locking member is held by a spring 7 in position to engage a moving part of the typewriterinsuch manner as to render the typewriter inoperative. The locking 'member illustrated in the accompanying drawings is adapted to engage over the shift-bar of a typewriter and hold said shift-bar depressed until the opposite end of the locking member is operated on by the releasing mechanism.

Thereleasing mechanism is adapted to be driven by any suitable clockwork of which,. therefore, a detailed description is not coin or token as it falls through the guide 4. The other end of the latch is hooked to engage one end of a releasing lever S), also pivoted on the frame C. The latch 8 is kept from swinging too far in either direction by stop-pins l0 projecting from, the fr me. The other end of the lever 9 is formed with a beveled portion 11 adapted to ride onto and depress the end of the locking rod 5 when the lever is released from the latch and is swung upon its pivot by a spring 12. The latch 8 and lever 9 are connected by a spring 14 which returns the latch to position to again engage the lever after they have been disengaged.

To hold the end of the rod 5 depressed for a predetermined period of time, after it has been depressedby thelever 9, a disk 15 is 'rotatably mounted on 'a stud projecting from the frame C. The periphery of the disk is formed with notches or cut out portions 16. One side of each notch forms'a sharp shoulder and the other side is cut away to permit the disk to rotate to hold the end of the rod 5 depressed, and also to operate a pawl, as hereinafter described. The disk is rotated by means of a gearwheel 17 mounted to rotate therewith and engaged by a gear-wheel 18 fixed on the arbor A of the clockwork. As shown in the drawings, the diameter of the gear wheel 17 is twice that of the gear-wheel 18, so that one revolution of the wheel 18 imparts half a revolution to the wheel 17 and disk 15. ,The disk is therefore shown provided with two notches 16, but it will be readily understood that the relative size of the arwheels can be varied and the disk be provided with notches to correspond. Projecting from the disk are pins 19 which correspend in number to the number of notches 16, and are for a purpose hereinafter mentioned. 4

The mechanism for stopping the clockwork comprises a bent arm 20 projecting from a boss 21 mounted to rock on a post projecting from the frame 0. Secured to the upper end ofthe arm 20 is a metal strip 22 which is held in engagement with the escapement 23 of the clockwork by means of a spring 24. Projecting from the arm 20 is a second armi25 the end of which rests against the lever 9 so that when the lever is released from the latch 8 and drawn back by the spring 12 the arm 20 will also be moved back to disengage the strip 22 from the escapement 23 and permit the clockwork to start. Projecting from the boss 21 is a third arm 26 the end of which rests upon 1 a pawl 27 pivoted on the frame C. The end of the pawl 27 normally restsin one of the notches 16 of the disk 15, but when the disk is rotated the pawl is raised by the cut away side. of the notch until it rests on the periphery of the disk, and raises the'arm 26 to hold the strip 22 out of engagementwith the cseapement 23.

When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the locking rod is in position to render the typewriter inoperative, and when a coin or token is inserted in the guide 1 it falls down onto the end of the latch 8 with sufficient force to remove the hooked end thereof from the lever 9. The lever 9 is swung upon its pivot by thespring 12 and depresses the end of the rod 5, releasing the moving partin this case the shift-bar-of the typewriter and permitting said type writer to be used. At the same time the lever 9 pushes back the arm 20 through the arm 25 and permits the clockwork to start. The disk 15 is slowly rotated by the clockwork, and when it has been rotated sufliciently to bring its periphery into position to hold the end of the rod 5 depressed, one of the pins 19 engages the lever 9 and returns it into engagement with the latch 8; bythis time the pawl 27 is resting on the periphery of the disk and'holds the arm 20 back so that the clockwork continues to rotate the disk until the pawl enters the next notch and the end of the rod 5 simultaneously enters another ofthe notches. The clockwork is thus stopped and the type writer rendered inoperative, simultaneously,

and the mechanism is in position to be released by the insertion of anothercoin or the like.

To enable the person using the typewriter to see how much of the predetermined period of time remains, an indicating hand 28 may be arranged to be rotated by the arbor of the clockwork to move over a dial 29 visible through the glazed opening 3 in the casing. The dial can be arranged in any convenient position to be viewed by the person using the typewriter. The period of time is de termined by the relative'siz es of the gear wheels 17 and 18 and the number of notches in the disk 15.

Having now described my invention what I claim is':

1. In a coin operated, time controlled mechanism for permitting a machine to be used for a predetermined period of time, alocking member adapted to be normally held in engagement with a moving part of the machine, clockwork, means normally holding said clockwork inoperative, coin controlled means for rendering said first mentioned means inoperative whereby said clockwork will operate. and means controlled by said clockwork for maintaining said locking member inoperative for a predetermined interval of time, means for returning said first mentioned means and said locking member to their normal position at the termination of said interval of time whereby said clockwork will be rendered inoperative and said locking member .will lock the machine against further use.

2. In a coin operated, time controlled mechanism for permitting a machine to be used for a predetermined period of time, a locking member adapted to be normally held in engagement with a moving part of the machine; clockwork normally held from op- .'erating by a stop-arm; a lever normally held by a latch and adapted t0-be released by the insertion of a coin to disengage the locking member and to move the stop-arm to permit the clockwork to start; and a notched disk operated by the clockwork to hold the looking member in disengaged position for'a predetermined period of time, and to hold the stop-arm back for the predetermined period of time to permit the clockwork to operate, and also serving to return the releasing lever to latched position.

3. In 1 a coin operated, time controlled mechanism for permitting a machine to be used for a predetermined period of time, a locking member adapted to be normally held in engagement with a moving part of the machine, clockwork normally held from operating by a stop-arm, a lever normally held by a latch and adapted to be released by the operate, and also serving to return the releasing lever to latched position, and an indicating hand and dial to enable the person using the machine to see how much of the predetermined time remains.

In testimony whereofl have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM SIEGMUND SCHOTT.

Witnesses:

LOWELL MASON, HUGH S. Hoon.

period of time to permit the clockwork to 

